


Cub Scouts

by bracus09



Series: SEAL Team Week - 2021 [2]
Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: Boy Scouts, Clay Spenser Whump, First Aid, Gen, RJ's Troop, camping trip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28849908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bracus09/pseuds/bracus09
Summary: When Clay volunteers to help... he should have just said no.
Series: SEAL Team Week - 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114379
Comments: 28
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 of SEAL Team Week - 2021
> 
> Tuesday's Prompt: “I’ve only led you astray, like, twice. That’s not even that bad!”
> 
> Again, this is a multiple chapter fic, so hang on for the ride.

Clay Spenser swung his Nova into the Perry driveway. He left the windows rolled down as he climbed out of the vehicle, knowing if he didn’t, his car would feel like the inside of an oven within minutes.

Clay stopped as he passed by the open garage. He stepped inside, smiling at the two boys seated by piles of camping equipment with their chins buried in their palms. The curly-headed eight-year-old black boy was Ray’s son, Raymond Junior also known as RJ. The shaggy blond-headed white boy, also eight and with a smattering of freckles across his nose, was RJ’s best friend Hunter Griffin.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Clay asked, standing in front of the two boys.

RJ Perry sighed as though the world had just come to an end. “Nothin’, Uncle Clay.”

Hunter echoed RJ’s sentiments with all the enthusiasm of a boy who’d just been told his mother had signed him up for two months’ worth of dance lessons. “Yeah, nothin’s up, Mr. Spenser.”

“Oh, come on, you tow, whatever is wrong, it can’t be that bad.” Clay tried to reason with the kids.

RJ nodded. “Yes, it can. It’s worse than bad even.”

“Yeah, worse that bad. It sucks.” Hunter said, putting his head in his hands.

“What sucks?” Clay asked, now curious.

“You know the camping trip we’re supposed to go on this weekend?” RJ asked. “The one with our Boy Scout troop where we were gonna work on earnin’ our First Aid badges?”

“Sure. Your dad told me all about it. Hunter’s father asked him to come along and help since we use first aid in the field all the time.” Clay said, remembering how Ray was excited that he would actually be able to help with the troops since it fell on their off days.

“Right,” Hunter confirmed. His father was the leader of the troop Hunter and RJ belonged to. “Only now my dad can’t go so the trip is off.”

“Why can’t he go?” Clay asked.

“Cause my mom had the babies early.” Hunter groaned.

“Babies?” Clay said.

“Yeah.” Hunter wrinkled his nose in distaste. “I got sisters. Can you believe that? Sisters. All these years, I have been begging them for a brother, and when they finally get around to give me a little sibling, it turns out to be sisters.”

“Twins, huh” Clay said while suppressing a smile.

“Twins? Mr. Spenser, twins woulda been bad enough, but no, my mom went and did it big time. Triplets. I’ve got three sisters. Three. Claudia, Cecelia and Caydence. Have you ever heard of any uglier names than that?” Hunter complained.

Clay didn’t think he had heard of any uglier names than the three Hunter just rattled off, but he was wise enough not to agree with the boy. The last thing he needed was the kid running home to his mother to report that Mr. Perry’s co-worker thought the triplets had been christened with names Clay wouldn’t even give a littler of kittens.

Clay settled on the safest comment he could think of, “Wow, that a lot of sisters to have all at once. Is everybody… your mom and the girls I mean, are they alright?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. But boy, there’s sure is a lot of cryin’ going on at our house lately. And I don’t just mean the babies. My mom cries, too. Just about every time they cry, she cries.” Hunter groaned.

“Well, a new baby does bring some stress into a household. Three new babies is bound to really make things tense for a while. But don’t worry, as soon as your mom and dad get in a routine with the girls things will settle down.” Clay explained.

“Yeah, that’s what my grandma keeps telling me.” Hunter conceded.

“So, the camping trip is off because your dad can’t go?” Clay asked to get confirmation.

“Yeah. Dad said at least two adults must be able to take us since there’s eight kids sign up. None of the other dads can make it, so the trip was called off.” Hunter confirmed.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be able to go in a few weeks,” Clay attempted to reassure the boys.

“Nuh-uh,” RJ negated. "School starts in three weeks, Uncle Clay. We won’t have time to go then. We’ll have to wait until next summer if we don’t go now.” RJ explained to his uncle.

“Yeah, all the way until next summer,” Hunter sighed. “Heck, now that I’ve got three sisters, I’ll probably never be able to go camping again. I’ll probably never be able to go _anywhere_ again.”

Clay laughed. “I think you’re exaggerating a bit there, Hunter.”

“No, Mr. Spenser, really. I’m not. You don’t know what it’s like around our house lately. It’s… it’s… it’s a baby battle zone, that’s what it is.”

Clay put his hand on RJ’s hair, then did the same to Hunter’s hair but tousled it. He left the boys to pout together as he walked around the house in search of Ray.

The elder Perry was already at work staining the deck that was built onto the back of the house. He looked up as he heard someone approaching.

“Hey Spenser. What brings you over here?” Ray said, eyeing the young SEAL.

“Thought I’d help you stain.” Clay said.

“You don’t have to help.” Ray replied.

“I know. But my apartment’s clean, the laundry is done, and there wasn’t much of anything else to do on our day off. Figured two people will make this go faster.” Clay reasoned.

Clay picked up a clean paintbrush and started working on the railing while Ray concentrated on the deck’s floor. “Listen, I was just talking to RJ and Hunter.”

“Oh, are they still pouting in the garage?” Ray glanced at Clay.

Clay chuckled. “You might say that.”

“They’re pretty disappointed about the camping trip, but there’s not much anyone can do. Hunter’s folk have their hands full right now – “

“Yeah, sure sounds like it.” Clay said, concentrating on swishing his brush back and form. “Really awful names for three little girls, huh?”

“No kidding,” Ray agreed without breaking the stride of his own work. “Anyway, Stephen… Hunter’s dad, can’t get away right now and all of the other fathers are claiming they’re busy as well. Now, whether that is true or not, I have my doubts. Regardless, I can’t take eight boys on a three-day, two-night campout by myself. That’s too many kids to be responsible for if something happens.

“Yeah, it is,” Clay agreed. He knew, based on what Ray had told the team the previous week, the boys going on this trip were all between eight and ten years of age. That was a little too young to act independently of an adult if something went wrong. “So when were you planning to leave?”

“This Friday at noon. We were going to head to George Washington and Jefferson National Forest and stay through Sunday morning working on their First Aid skills.” Ray explained.

Clay nodded. The George Washington and Jefferson National Forest was vast, mountainous, and surprisingly enough, relatively unpopulated. He thought a long moment, then volunteered, “If you don’t think any of the boys’ parents would mind me coming along in place of Hunter’s father then I’ll confirm with Blackburn that I get Friday off and I’ll help you with the kids.”

Ray stopped his work to turn his head and look at his teammate. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” Clay said, shrugging his shoulder. “Why not?”

“Eight kids between eight and ten years old for one thing.” Ray explained, raising an eyebrow in Clay’s direction.

“No big deal. I take your kids, along with Mikey and Emma places all the time.” Clay reasoned.

Ray nodded with silent agreement. There was no doubt Clay was good with children. He had just as much energy as they did, especially with Sonny around, he genuinely enjoyed being around them, and yet was highly capable of taking care of any situation that arose despite his sometimes – immature nature. And aside from that fact, Clay was an excellent SEAL who will become a Master Chief someday. He would be a perfect choice as an additional chaperone for this trip.

“You’re not canceling any plans you might have had this weekend in order to do this, are you?” Ray asked, giving Clay the stink eye.

“Nope. No plans. And I don’t mind.” Clay continued to stain the deck railing.

“Well… okay. I don’t see why not. I’ll have to check with Hunter’s dad, and then the other parents, but I’m sure everyone will agree to it.” Ray said as he turned back to his own staining.

“Great.” Clay resumed his work by dipping his brush into the can of stain. “Besides, who better to teach the boys First Aid than two Navy SEALs?”

“Good point,” Ray agreed while returning to his own work. “Not only teach the boys First Aid, but who’s better qualified than us to keep everyone safe, healthy, and free from injury?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Safe, healthy, and free from injury.” Clay patted his chest while giving a self-satisfied grin. “Now _that’s_ my middle name.”

Clay missed the look Ray shot him that clearly said with doubtful sarcasm. ‘Safe, healthy and free from injury? Your middle name? The fumes from the stain are cutting off your oxygen supply.’

Before Ray could voice his thoughts, Naima appeared with a pitcher of lemonade and a plate of cookies. By the time Clay left, after he had been fed lunch, the deck was stained, Ray had made a series of phone calls, and the camping trip was back on. Two delighted boys were counting bandages and supplies in the garage when Clay headed for his Nova at 4 PM.

“Bye, Uncle Clay!” RJ waved goodbye to his “favorite” uncle.

“Bye, Mr. Spenser!” Hunter waved too.

“Bye, guys. See you Friday!” Clay waved as he continued to his car.

“Yeah, see you Friday,” RJ confirmed. “And we are gonna make sure we have plenty of supplies, Uncle Clay, just in case we need them. Like the Boy Scout motto says, we gotta be prepared.”

Clay shook his head with amusement as he climbed into his Nova. The boys already had enough bandages accumulated to stop massive hemorrhaging on three adults. They were giving Trent a run for his money. Even though he thought RJ and Hunter were overdoing it a bit, he kept his opinion to himself. After all, he’d never been a Boy Scout, and Clay supposed it was a good idea to be prepared. Nonetheless, he couldn’t imagine the need to use even one of those bandages, let alone all of them, but Clay left the boys to their fun as he backed his Nova out of the driveway and headed for his apartment, where he, too, would begin to get his gear together for the weekend camping trip.

Clay looked around his gear that be brought home from his cage on base. He set aside his tactical bag that had a large red cross, then proceeded to air out his sleeping bag on the sofa. He turned his attention to his tactical medical kit. ‘I know the kids have plenty of bandages, but I’d better take some stuff just in case. You never know what can happen.’

He unzipped the kit and took a quick inventory. ‘Calamine lotion, acetaminophen, some Band-Aids.’

He smiled and shook his head as he remembered RJ’s last words. ‘I’d better stock up on stuff for stomachaches, nausea, diarrhea and some Benadryl in case someone come in contact with anything that cause a reaction.

Clay made a list of necessary items to give to Trent so he could snag them from the base. Clay looked around his supplies a second time. ‘I’d better make sure the phone is charged. Somehow, I have a feeling this will be a trip that will be hard to forget.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the trip begins... not how Clay thought it would begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... sorry for the wait between chapters.
> 
> As I have said previously, I'm a high school health science teacher and we are in full remote learning... and I teach six different subjects. Add on that we finished one quarter and are starting the next... life has been a little hectic.
> 
> Also, come mid-February, high school sports will be starting again, and I'm the athletic trainer for our high school, so I will be even busier and have less time to work on my fics.
> 
> Thank you for being patient. Thank you for the comments and encouraging words. It helps a lot when I get home after a long day to see them and they bring a smile to my face.
> 
> I will finish every story that I start... It just might be a while between updates.
> 
> Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

This camping trip Clay would ‘never forget’ started being memorable thirty minutes before leaving Ray’s house on Friday. Clay had naively assumed Boy Scouts would know how to pack their gear in an organized manner. When Ray’s home came into view, Clay knew his assumption was further off base than he could have ever imagined. Sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, tents, coolers, jackets, backpacks, grocery bags brimming with junk food, and even two large suitcases, that Clay had to do a double-take when he actually saw them, littered the driveway. Clay had no choice but to park his GMC Canyon pick-up by the curb. With a dubious expression, he slowly climbed from the vehicle. Some of Clay’s earliest memories of living in Liberia were with his grandfather. If you added up everything they had on those long distance trips to rural communities, and what they’d taken with him on those trips, you still wouldn’t come up with this much junk.

Ray gave his teammate a cheery wave, as though it was normal to take along half the contents of a house when going on a camping trip that wasn’t going to last much more than forty-eight hours.

‘Novices.’ Clay resisted the urge to roll his eyes but couldn’t keep the disgust from echoing in his brain.

RJ Perry ran to Clay’s side. “Hi Uncle Clay! Me and Hunter are riding with you. We already decided.”

Clay gave RJ a grin of delight while patting him on the back. “Cool, Champ. Glad to hear it.”

RJ beckoned Clay to bend down. The man felt warm breath against his ear as the body whispered, “But Humphrey and Sean have to ride with us, too.”

“Humphrey and Sean?” Clay asked.

“They’re sort of weird. Not camping kinda kids at all.” RJ replied.

“Oh, come on, RJ. I’m sure they’ll do fine.” Clay tried to reason with him.

“If you say so,” RJ replied in a tone that said he knew better but would let Clay find out for himself. And Clay knew exactly where RJ got it from.

“Hey, Brother,” Ray greeted from where he stood loading the back of his Jeep Rubicon.

“Hey,” Clay said in return as he carefully stepped over the piles of junk. “Um… Ray, don’t you think there’s an awful lot of stuff here for just a few days in the woods?”

Ray looked around, not nearly as daunted by the equipment as Clay was. “Well, maybe, but they are just kids after all.”

“Yeah, but they have enough shit here to survive three _months_ in the woods as opposed to three days.” Clay explained.

“Shhhh.” Ray said, looking around to make sure the boys were still running around.

“What?” Clay asked, perplexed.

“Watch your language,” Ray whispered. “Shit. Don’t say that in front of the boys.”

“Okay. Stuff. I’ll call it stuff if that will make you happy. But that won’t change my opinion. They’ve got too much of it. Half this _stuff_ should stay right here in your garage.” Clay looked around as the boys began playing a game of tag on the Perry front lawn. “And they should be helping you load it.”

“Look, Clay, they’re just kids. You can’t expect them to go camping Navy SEAL style.” Ray explained.

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Clay looked over all the _stuff_.

“It means with the clothes on our backs, two MREs, a canteen of water, maybe some granola or protein bars.” Ray stated, giving Clay “the look”.

“What’s wrong with that?” Clay said. “Ain’t that the definition of being a Boy Scout?”

“Nothing, unless you want to hear eight boys moaning that they’re hungry come midnight.” Ray explained. “If you’d ever settle down and have kids of your own, you would know that.”

By the way Ray was stowing equipment in his Jeep, Clay could tell he was fighting a losing battle. He gave a heavy sigh before admitting defeat. “Okay, okay, I guess the sooner we can get this shi… stuff loaded, the sooner we get this show on the road.”

“Now you get it, Clay.” Ray said, moving a cooler.

“What stuff belongs to the kids riding with me?” Clay asked, looking at the scattered supplies.

Ray pointed to one end of the driveway. “We’ve got it piled down there.”

“The suitcases! I gotta take the suitcases?!” Clay looked at him in disbelief.

“They belong to Humphrey.” Ray stated, like it was common sense.

Clay looked at the boys running around the front yard. “Which one is Humphrey?”

“The husky boy in the middle.” Ray pointed the right boy out.

“Husky? Ray, that kid weighs more than me! And he’s ten?” Clay again asked in disbelief.

“Not quite, he still has a few months until his tenth birthday.” Ray explained.

Clay watched as the red-faced Humphrey ran with a lumbering gait from the boy who was ‘it’. He huffed and puffed like a fifty-year-old man about to have a massive heart attack. “And this kid’s going to be able to hike?”

“I assume so.”

“Without having a heart attack?”

“I would hope.”

“Yeah, I’d hope, too. Especially since he’s riding with me.”

Ray smiled. “Oh, and see the kid sitting on the front steps?”

“The one who’s crying?”

“Yeah. That’s Sean.”

“What’s his problem?”

“I don’t know. He just cries a lot.”

Clay scowled. “You did this on purpose.”

“I did what on purpose?”

“Gave me the fat kid and the crybaby.”

“Clay! You’re as bad as RJ and Hunter.”

“Okay, okay, I didn’t mean it like it sounded. You gave me the kids with challenges. There, you like that better. You were not very forthcoming with info on RJ’s troop.” Clay complained.

“Yes, I do. Besides, I’ve only led you astray, like, twice. That’s not even that bad. And you deserve it.” Ray replied.

“Deserve what?” Clay asked, confused.

“After everything you’ve put Bravo through over the years, you deserve the kids with _challenges_.” Ray explained.

Clay would have debated that statement if it hadn’t been so true. Since he knew he’d lost this battle before he even started, he chose to make a dignified retreat. Or at least as dignified of a retreat as possible when you’re forced to haul two oversized suitcases on a camping trip, along with a boy the other kids had long ago nicknamed Sob Story Sean.

***

The first time Sean kicked the seat, Clay figured it was an accident.

The second time, he protested mildly. “Hey!” He got a sniffle for a reply, but Clay figured he’d made his point.

The third time Sean kicked the seat, Clay realized there was some issue at stake. “Okay, what’s the problem back there?” he asked briskly, letting his tone show Sean he didn’t appreciate the kicks.

“Nothing.” Another sniffle.

“Well, quit kicking my seat.” Clay stated.

A long, drawn out sniffle. Clay grimaced.

Humphrey, who had insisted on the front seat, caught his look and was encouraged. “Sob Story Sean,” he taunted, partially turning in his seat.

“That’s enough of that,” Clay told him sharply. “We’re all on the same team here.”

“It’s not a team,” Hunter pointed out helpfully. “It’s a troop.”

“Okay, we’re all in the same troop,” Clay amended. “And – “

“You aren’t in our troop,” Humphrey proclaimed. “You’re not in any troop.”

“My point is,” Clay rolled his eyes, “We can all be friends here.”

Hunter snickered, and Clay heard suspiciously similar noises coming from RJ’s general direction. “Raymond Perry Junior!”

“Geez, he sounds like your mom,” Hunter groaned.

“Look,” Clay tried to keep a rein on his temper, “Let’s all just try to be nice to one another, okay?”

He barely caught half-hearted mumbles of agreement from three of the other occupants of the truck, and Sean answered by kicking the seat again.

“Knock it off,” Clay snapped before he could stop himself. He made a conscious effort to be more understanding, and simultaneously ignoring Humphrey’s smirk. “Sean, why do you keep kicking the seat?”

“I don’t wanna go camping.” Came the watery reply.

“Well, how come you came, then?” Clay asked.

“My dad made me!” Sean broke into fresh tears. There was more smothered giggling.

Clay groaned inwardly and looked at his watch. They’d been on the road a whole ten minutes. “Camping is fun,” he told Sean firmly. “It’s great.”

“I hate it,” Sean wailed. “It’s outdoors. There’s grass and bugs and dirt and spiders and ticks and poison ivy and poison oak and snakes and – “

“Whoa, whoa,” Clay interrupted. “Take a breath, kid – breathe. None of those things are going to kill you. If you get dirty, you’ll wash up. And you know what poison ivy and poison oak look like from your First Aid book, so just don’t touch any and you’ll be fine. The snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them, and as for the bugs, well, they’re not big enough to eat you alive, now are they?”

“Bears eat you alive,” Sean snuffled. “I saw it online. A bear attacked a boy who was walking with his mom in the national park, just like the place we’re going. A bear will eat you alive.”

“Cool!” RJ exclaimed. Hunter giggled.

“And there’s coyotes,” Sean went on, hiccupping with tears. “And there’s bobcats. And there’s hawks and all kinds of rabid – “

Clay thought it would be best to stop the kid before he launched into another list. “Sean, _no one_ is going to eat you,” he promised.

“Hungry Humphrey might,” Hunter whispered, loud enough for everyone in the truck to hear.

“That’s enough of that,” Clay said firmly. He sighed as Humphrey retrieved another candy bar from his backpack and tore it open. “We’re not here to make fun of people, guys, we’re here to get your First Aid Merit Bandages. Now, you keep this up, and I don’t think your Troop Leaders are going to think you _earned_ anything. Do you?”

They were silent for a whole five minutes. Then Sean kicked the seat again.

“Sean, this is the last time I’m going to say it. Knock it off with kicking the seat!” Clay said in an authoritative voice, hoping the commanding order channeled his inner Eric Blackburn. He heard RJ and Hunter giggle again.

“See,” Hunter whispered, “He really _does_ sound like someone’s mother. How does he do that? I thought he didn’t have no kids.”

“He doesn’t. But Uncle Clay can do basically anything.” RJ explained.

Clay would have allowed himself to bask in RJ’s muffled compliment if he hadn’t been feeling so bad over the fact that he’d just caused Sean to break into a new round of tears.

He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the boy’s chin was buried in his chest, his auburn bangs covering his eyes and freckles on his cheeks. “Sean, come on now, don’t cry.”

“But… but… but you yelled at me.” Sean replied.

“I yelled at you because I had asked you nicely several times to stop kicking the back of my seat. When you wouldn’t obey me, I had to get stern. So, the next time I ask you to do something, or not to do something, you’ll listen to me, won’t you?” Clay patiently explained.

“Yes… yes, Mr. Spenser.” Sean agreed.

“Good boy.” Clay praised.

“But I… I still… don’t… don’t wanna go camping.” Sean wailed.

“Well, kiddo, it looks to me like you have no choice. Your parents sent you on this trip, so you’ll have to make the best of it.” Clay replied, calmly.

Sean’s head rose. His eyes were red, and tears still trickled down his pale, freckled cheeks. “But what if I get bitten by a snake?”

“You won’t,” Clay assured as he glanced in the rearview mirror again, this time to make certain Ray was still behind him.

“But what if I do? I’ll die if that happens.” Sean wailed.

“Nah,” Humphrey negated. “We’ll just take out a knife, slice yer leg open, and suck the blood out. I’ve seen it done a million times on old school TV shows.”

Sean’s voice rose to a little girl-like wail. “But I don’t want someone to slice my leg open!”

“Sean, no one’s gonna slice your leg open.” Clay shot Humphrey a ‘keep your lip buttoned’ glance. “Rey doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“The name’s Humphrey, Mr. Spenser. Not Rey. Humphrey Sebastian Darlington-Wit the Third. And I do know what I’m talkin’ about ‘cause I watch a lotta of TV and see things on the internet.”

Judging by the boy’s girth, Clay could easily imagine that to be true. He ignored Humphrey to instead catch Sean’s eyes in the mirror. “Listen, Sean, our medic has helped with snake bites before and I can assure you that no one sliced any legs open nor did he suck the blood out.”

Clay didn’t tell the boy that he was not there when Trent helped their strap when it happened, but he was hoping Sean would just take the story as is.

This story seemed to finally put an end to Sean’s tears. “Really? And they were okay?”

“Aw, he’s lynin’.” Humphrey scoffed as he dug through his pack for a Snickers.

RJ’s voice came from the back seat. “He is not. I remember Dad saying something about it. My Dad and Uncles get into some weird situations when they get spun-up. But I remember Dad said the antivenom makes people really sick and makes you puke.”

Hunter’s eyes lit up. “Mr. Spenser, have you ever thrown up on a girl?”

Clay could remember a few times he had been sick, and it may or may not have landed on a female counterpart. He just shrugged a shoulder and kept his eyes on the road.

Humphrey nodded and spoke around his candy bar. “Cool.”

“How come you have puked on a girl, Mr. Spenser?” Sean asked.

‘Thanks a lot, RJ,’ Clay thought. “It happens sometimes. Pretty sure you have all thrown up on your moms before.”

If nothing else, the story about a spin-up (kiddy-version) seemed to capture the kids’ attention, calm Sean’s fears, and finally unify the four boys a bit as they asked question after question of Clay.

Have you ever been to Africa?

Were their situations where you think you were gonna die?

How cool is it to ride in a helicopter?

Do you help with people hurt on missions?

Will we learn how to take care of someone hurt like it was a real mission?

Clay patiently answered each question as he drove. With having defensive driving training, and one or two car chases under his belt, so conversation didn’t distract him like it did normal people when they were driving. And if nothing else, it beat having his seat kicked by a crying kid.

When the boys finally ran out of question to ask, Humphrey started digging through his pack again.

“Uh, Humphrey, you can’t possibly be hungry again. We’ve only been on the road thirty minutes and you’ve already eaten three candy bars, half a bag of Fritos and a doughnut. Plus, I thought your mom’s were supposed to feed you lunch before you were dropped off at the Perry’s today.” Clay commented.

“Mom did feed me lunch, but I’m a growing boy. Besides, I’m not looking for anything to eat right now.” Humphrey explained.

“Then what are you looking for?” Clay asked.

“My pills.” Humphrey replied, still searching his backpack.

“Your pills?” Clay responded.

“Yeah. It’s time for me to take them.” Humphrey stated.

Clay wasn’t too sure about this. Ray had never mentioned anything about Humphrey being on medication. “Pills for what?”

The boy’s eyes traveled to the ceiling of the truck in deep thought. “Well… lemme see. There’s the pink ones for my asthma. And the blue ones for my thyroid. The green ones are for my gallbladder. The yellow ones are supposed to help my circulation. The red ones are for my gout. The yucky tasting brown ones are for my diabetes – “

“Diabetes?” Clay asked, making sure he heard correctly.

“Yeah.” Humphrey replied.

Clay eyes the boy with suspicion. “Humphrey, do you even know what diabetes is?”

“No, but my mom thinks I’ve got it.” Humphrey responded, looking at his pills.

“Well, judging by the number of candy bars I’ve just seen you eat I rather doubt that’s true.” Clay stated.

“Huh?” Humphrey looked over at Clay.

“Never mind. Look, don’t take any pills at all until we get to our campsite and I can talk to Mr. Perry.” Clay requested of Humphrey.

“Okay,” the body shrugged his agreement. “But I hope I don’t die of something before then.”

Again, Clay eyes the child. Other than being overweight, the boy looked perfectly healthy to him. His skin color was good, his eyes were lively, he’d easily held up his end of the conversation throughout this trip and there was certainly nothing wrong with his appetite. “I don’t think you’ll be dying of anything any time soon. Unless it’s hypochondria that is.”

Humphrey looked at Clay with open curiosity. “Hypochondria? I’ve got lots of diseases, but I’ve never heard of that one. Is there a pill for it?”

“No Humphrey, there isn’t.” Clay said, hoping he wasn’t feeding this kid’s fetish with medical diseases.

Clay watched as Humphrey pulled another candy bar out of his backpack along with a pencil and notepad. “Hypochondria. Can you spell that for me, Mr. Spenser? I wanna write it down and tell my mom all about it when I get home.”

Clay couldn’t hold back a weary sigh. His earlier thoughts regarding this trip being ‘fun’ were changing rapidly to ‘long’. Clay now had a feeling it was going to be a _long_ trip.

A _very long_ trip.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the first part of the camping trip begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the product of a three day weekend.
> 
> The next chapter is probably going to be a longer wait... since I won't have another break until the end of March.
> 
> Stay safe out there everyone!
> 
> Enjoy!

Clay opened the driver’s door of his truck and reached over and pulled his backpack out. He got out and opened the canopy window and tailgate of the truck. He gestured the boys toward their gear. “Well, _I’m_ not gonna carry them.” The boys started pulling their backs – and in Humphrey’s case, suitcases – out of the bed of the truck. Clay sauntered over to where Ray was directing the boys from his car.

“You are so dead,” Clay hissed for Ray’s hearing only.

Ray answered him with a chuckle. “Sorry.”

“You are not,” Clay retorted. “Ray, these kids are nuts!”

After years of working together, Clay could read Ray’s mind from the expression on his face, that it took one to know one. “Don’t even say it,” Clay growled in warning as Ray opened his mouth.

Ray closed his mouth and chuckled again.

While the campers filled their canteens at an old-fashioned pump, Ray introduced Clay to the remaining four boys. First in line came nine-year-old identical redheaded twins, Brandon and Landon Casabang, whom Clay knew he’d never keep straight. He could already see the mischief in their blue eyes, and within five minutes caught them exchanging shirts so that he wouldn’t be able to identify them.

The two ten-year-olds amongst the group was Austin Black, a shy sandy blond with hazel eyes who appeared far too serious for a boy his age, and Tony Maloney. How Clay knew a kid by the name of Tony Maloney would be the resident bully, he couldn’t say, but he’d pegged the boy’s personality right. Clay’s assumption was quickly proven when he saw Tony grab Sean’s backpack and run off with it.

“Hey, give it back!” Sean said.

“Come on, Sob Story Sean, come get it!” Tony taunted.

“Give it back!” Sean yelled again as the tears started pouring down his face.

“Crybaby, crybaby! Sob Story Sean is a crybaby!” Tony said, running away.

Clay grabbed the fleeing boy from behind. “Give Sean his stuff back.”

Dark bangs bounced in Tony’s eyes as he twisted and jerked, attempting to free himself from Clay’s hold. “Let me go! You’re not my father!”

“Good thing for you because right about now, you’d be feeling my hand on your rear end if I was.” Clay replied.

“You can’t hit me! That’s child abuse!” Tony retorted.

“Kid, shut your mouth. I’m not going to hit you. Now give Sean back his backpack.” Clay stated.

“He oughta come and get it. That’s what a _real_ scout would do insteada just standin’ there cryin’ like a baby.” Tony said in Sean’s direction.

“A _real_ scout wouldn’t have taken the backpack from Sean to begin with,” Clay pointed out. “A _real_ scout would have offered to help him carry it.” Clay released the boy while ordering, “Now give it to him.”

“Aw, man, you’re no fun.” Tony looked at Ray. “Where’d you get this loser from, Mr. Perry? He’s about as much fun as my grandmother. Which ain’t a lot ‘cause she’s been dead for five years.”

Clay threw the backpack at Sean, then stalked off to fill his own canteen.

“Nice kid,” Clay muttered under his breath.

“He’s hyperactive,” Ray replied.

“Oh, great,” Clay whispered. “Just great. We’ve got a crybaby, twins who I can already tell are gonna spend the rest of this trip swapping identities, a hyperactive brat who’s in bad need of a spanking, and a fat kid on enough medication to supply a pharmacy for a year.”

“They’re placebos.” Ray tossed out.

“Huh?” Clay asked, confused.

“Humphrey’s pills. They’re placebos. Radcliff, Humphrey’s dad told me his mother is a hypochondriac and has passed that trait onto the boy. That’s why Radcliff made Humphrey join the Scouts. He wants the boy to get outside more, make friends and quit streaming so many TV shows.” Ray explained.

“Good idea. If there’s one thing that kid could use it’s a nice, long hike.” Clay mumbled.

Ray smiled while placing a hand on Clay’s shoulder, “And who better to lead that hike than you, brother?”

“Oh, thanks. Thanks a lot.” Clay tossed in Ray’s direction as he moved back to his truck.

Clay glanced up at the rugged terrain that extended beyond their campsite, Pike’s Point. The site itself was relatively benign. A flat piece of ground with a large clearing perfect for tents and a campfire, along with the added attraction of the pump that was fed from an underground spring. The pump wasn’t a luxury Clay would have paid an additional five dollars a night for if he would have been camping by himself, but Ray had insisted upon it and Clay supposed, given the number of kids they had with them and their young ages, it was a good idea. Or at least an easy way to keep everyone relatively germ free.

Leaving the campsite to head for the area where their first aid training would take place, the campers would be forced to climb over logs and rocks, duck under tree branches and overgrown brush, walk through thickets of bramble bushes and finally wade through a small stream before arriving at their destination. Clay couldn’t fathom this ragtag group making it that far in one piece. He had hope for RJ, Hunter and Austin and maybe the twins if they didn’t run off and hide somewhere just for the fun of it, but as far as the other three boys went, Clay got the feeling this trip was already a lost cause.

Clay watched as the game of tag that had been started in the Perry front yard an hour earlier resumed, only this time with the aid of water from the pump as the boys splashed it on one another. Within thirty second, Sean was crying, Tony was threatening to beat the twins up for getting him wet, and Humphrey was standing off by himself eating another candy bar.

Clay shook his head in disbelief. “And you’re telling me that when we head home on Sunday afternoon, a mere forty-eight hours from now, these kids are going to be able to save a life?”

“That’s what this trip is for,” Ray said, without a hint of concern to his tone that anything but that would occur.

“Yeah, right,” Clay scoffed. He shot Ray one last, dark look, before shouting, “Come on, guys! Let’s go! Quit playing in the water and get the rest of your stuff unloaded so we can start our hike. If you can’t keep up, I’m leaving you behind. Now move it! Move it, move it, move it!”

Ray hid his smile as he began pulling gear from the back of his Jeep. He had a feeling that his energetic teammate had finally met his match in this troop of eight little Boy Scouts.

***

The boys quickly unloaded both vehicles. Sleeping bags, two coolers and assorted backpackers were piled at their owner’s feet. Grocery bags full of food sat on top of a sturdy looking picnic table.

Ray smiled and clapped his hands to get the boy’s attention. “Listen up, guys!”

The boys gathered around Clay and Ray. Sean shuffled his feet in the dirt as the rest of the boys listened intently.

“Now, the first order of business is to pitch the tents,” directed Ray. “Who’s got them?”

RJ and Hunter raised their hands. “We’ve got three of them,” offered RJ.

Ray nodded. “Right, the other two are in my Jeep. Brandon, Landon, did you guys unload them?”

The twins looked up at Ray and shook their head. “We only found one tent, Mr. Perry,” replied Brandon as he elbowed his brother. “Landon took one out to squeeze another bag of pretzels into the back, and we must’ve forgotten to put it back in.”

A loud sigh escaped Clay’s lip. ‘Great. This keeps getting better and better.’

Ray glanced at Clay, trying hard to suppress his laughter. “That’s okay,” he reassured the boys. “A couple of you will have to triple up. The tents are big enough.” Ray rubbed his hands together. “You all know how to pitch a tent.” He pointed to an area of well-packed earth slightly away from the firepit. “Go ahead and set up over there. Hurry it up. We’ve got a lot to cover to get this merit badge."

Humphrey raised his hand.

Ray looked at Clay expectantly.

Clay shot a quick scowl at Ray, then pasted on a smile before he turned his attention to the boys. “What is it, Humphrey?”

“My mom said that there was no way that she’d let me sleep in a tent,” Humphrey looked up, as if he were reciting a memorized speech. “She said it would make my asthma worse, and I’m supposed to sleep in… in the back of your car.”

Clay glanced at Ray, who surreptitiously shook his head. “Well, Humphrey,” replied Clay as he put his hands on his hips. “Sleeping under the stars, in the fresh air, is actually better for you than sleeping in a smelly car.” He inhaled deeply to prove a point. “Smell that air.” He watched as all the boys took deep breaths. “Smells great, doesn’t it?” Clay smiled as all the boys nodded. “There’s nothing here to make your asthma worse, so you’ll be sleeping in a tent like everybody else?”

Humphrey pointed to the foam roll in the back of Clay’s truck, that Clay had unrolled while the boys were unloading everything. “Can’t I sleep in that bed?”

“NO!” exclaimed Clay. _‘If those little monsters find the pink stuff animal that Sonny hid when he found out that we were going on this trip, I’m mincemeat.’_ He heard Ray’s soft snort and took a deep breath. He pasted on another smile. “No. You see, that is where I sleep. I’m letting you guys use MY tent, so I’ll just sleep in the truck.”

“You mean you want to sleep in a smelly car?” Ray leaned over and muttered in Clay’s ear. “Chicken?”

“I am NOT chicken,” Clay muttered through gritted teeth. “I just want the kids to have the FULL experience of camping.”

“Awww,” RJ and Hunter moaned in unison, their faces fell. “We wanted you to sleep with us!”

Hunter turned to Tony. “He even puked on a girl!”

“Cool.” Tony peered up at Clay with newfound respect.

“Yeah!” chimed in RJ. “He tells the best stories, too! You promised you’d tell us a couple.”

“I guess that answers that,” Ray said. “Since you’ll be sleeping with the boys, I’ll bunk in the truck.” He smiled and clapped Clay on the shoulder. “Come on, guys. The sooner we get those tents up, the faster we can go on that hike.”

‘Great.’ Clay watched Ray toss his backpack in the rear of the truck. ‘I hope I stashed it well enough. If he finds it… and tells Bravo when we get back to base… I’m really going to be mincemeat.”

***

Clay wasn’t certain why the boys’ first aid training had to take place three miles from their campsite, but that’s the destination Hunter’s father had mapped out for Ray. The SEAL supposed the main reason was simply to build the boys’ stamina and give them a chance to hike in the woods, which would have been fine had he been here instead of Clay. But he wasn’t, he was home taking care of newborn triplets and right about now, Clay would gladly have traded places with him.

Ray led the way with Clay bringing up the rear. For safety reasons, they kept the boys in between them. RJ had done enough activities with the members of Bravo, so he was a proficient hiker. As Clay had suspected would be the case, Hunter and Austin were natural outdoorsmen who held up their end of the trek as well. Like RJ, they were genuinely interested in the sights and sounds Clay and Ray pointed out to them.

The Casabang twins were nimble athletes, so hiking was second nature to them as well. The problem was, they were like a couple of redheaded mountain goats. They climbed, and jumped, and scrambled on all fours, and got off the trail more times than Clay could keep track of. He was constantly running into the woods after them. He lost count of how many times he called, “Boys, get back here!” “Brandon! Where’d you go?” “Landon, where are you?” “Guys, knock it off and come out of there!” He also quickly tired of Ray shooting him smug smiles from the front of the line while asking, “Everything alright back there, Clay?”

While Clay was busy getting the twin rounded up, Tony was tormenting Sean. “I heard there’s a giant wolf on the loose out here somewhere.”

“A… a… a wolf?” Sean stammered, his thin shoulders starting to quiver.

“Yeah. It’s eaten like five grown men in the last week.” Tony continued.

“Fi-fi-five grown men?” Sean stammered.

“Sure.” Tony waved his hands in the air like they were paws ripping apart prey. “He grabbed ‘em right while they were hiking on this trail.”

“On this… this… this trail?” Sean asked in fear.

“Yep. Then he tore their heads off and ate ‘em for dinner.” Tony concluded.

Clay saw the tears trickling down Sean’s face as he returned to the trail with a firm hand on a shoulder of each wayward twin. He gave the redheads a push toward the front of the line.

“Go drive Mr. Perry crazy for a while, you two.” Clay then turned his attention to Sean. “Sean, what’s wrong?”

“There’s… there’s… a wo-wolf up here and it eats people.” Sean stuttered.

“There is not.” Clay stated.

“Is… is… is… so,” Sean sobbed.

“Who said?” Clay asked.

“Tony.” Came the reply.

Tony was the picture of innocence as he intently studied the foliage lining the trail they were hiking.

“Well, Tony doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Clay replied.

The dark-headed boy whirled on Clay. “I do too, you stupid idiot! I do know what I’m talking about!”

“If you know what you’re talking about, then how come you have to lie in order to impress the other guys.” Clay asked.

“I didn’t lie!” Tony exclaimed.

“Yes, you did, Tony. And lying simply to scare somebody is not only wrong, it’s something a little kid does. Not something a Boy Scout does.” Clay explained.

“I’m not a little kid!” Tony shouted.

“Then stop acting like one.” Clay stated.

“If anyone’s a little kid, it’s Sob Story Sean.” Tony tried to point out.

“Tony, what are you so angry about?” Clay asked.

The boy turned away from Clay, but not before the SEAL was able to read the expression on his face that said he wondered how Clay had seen inside his heart.

“Nothin.’ I’m not angry about nothin’. Just keep that stupid crybaby away from me.” Tony said, and jogged ahead.

Clay sighed as he watched Tony stalk off to join Ray and the other boys who were now a considerable distance ahead of them, save for Humphrey and Sean. He bent to brush at Sean’s tears with his thumbs. “Come on now, Sean, there’s no need to cry. There’s no wolf out here that’s going to hurt you, much less eat you.”

“Are… are you… are you sure?” Sean asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. And you know what?” Clay asked.

“What?” Sean stated.

“I can show you exactly what to do to keep yourself safe if you do encounter any animal out here. Not that you will, but I’ll bet you’ll feel one hundred percent better if you know how to protect yourself on the off-chance that it does happen.” Clay explained.

“I… yeah… I might.” Sean agreed.

“Okay. It’s simple.” Clay slipped his backpack off and stood. “You stand as tall as you can, reach your arms up over your head, and wave them around while yelling as loudly as possible.”

“What should I yell?” Sean asked.

“Anything. How about, ‘Go away! Get out of here! Go on! Get lost! Scram!” Clay demonstrating.

For the first time since Clay had met Sean, the boy laughed.

“Will that really work?” Sean asked, skeptical.

“Yes, it will really work,” Clay assured as he dropped his arms to his sides. “The trick is to make any wild animal believe you’re bigger and fiercer than it is. After you’ve scared it off, and you’re sure it’s out of the area, then you run as fast as you can to safety.”

“Like to our campsite?” Sean clarified.

“Exactly. Now you try it. You too, Humphrey. Put the candy bar away and try it.” Clay said.

“Aw, Mr. Spenser, ain’t no animal gonna eat me. I won’t even taste good. I’m nothin’ but blubber.” Humphrey said as he took another bite of his candy bar.

“Humphrey, try it.” Clay almost demanded.

“Okay, okay,” Humphrey sighed as he set his backpack down and load his open Three Musketeers bar on top of it. “But if I have a heart attack from all this exertion, _you’re_ the one who’s gonna have to explain it to my mom.”

“Trust me, you won’t have a heart attack and a little exertion never hurt anyone.” Clay explained.

The two boys copied what they’d just seen Clay do. Sean put considerably more energy into the movements than Humphrey, but if nothing else the chubby boy participated.

“Good going, guys. Now you’ll be safe from any wild animals for sure.” Clay reassured the boys.

Sean beamed up at Clay as he shouldered his backpack once more. “Thanks, Mr. Spenser. Now I feel better.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Clay replied back.

As the boy ran to catch up with the others, Humphrey struggled to get his own pack on. Clay grabbed the candy bar from his hands. “Here, let me hold this. I think you’ll have more luck if both hands are free.”

“Thanks.” With Clay’s assistance, Humphrey finally got his backpack on. He snatched his candy bar away from the SEAL, and said between bites, “That was nice what you did for Sean.”

“I didn’t _do_ anything for Sean. I just showed him one way to keep himself safe while spending time in the woods.” Clay explained.

Humphrey shrugged. “Still, that’s more time than a lotta people woulda taken with him. Kids like me and Sean… well, we’re not exactly ‘Boy Scout material,’ you know. Mr. Griffin doesn’t like us.”

“Oh, that’s not true.” Clay attempted to defend.

Humphrey licked the melted chocolate from his fingers. “Yeah, it is. But I don’t mind, I’m used to it. People look at me and just see a fat kid, so they expect me to be kinda slow and lazy. Which is just fine ‘cause I _like_ bein’ slow and lazy. Only Sean doesn’t like bein’ a crybaby, ya see? He wants to be like a regular kid, only he needs someone to show him how. Tony, too.”

“What do you mean?” Clay asked as they slowly walked the trail a good one hundred yards behind Ray and the other boys.

“Tony’s always getting in trouble at school ‘cause he can’t sit still. It’s not his fault. He’s got something wrong with him, but I don’t know what. Everybody hates Tony ‘cause he’s so mean. Only I think if he had a couple of friends, maybe he wouldn’t be so mean anymore. Does that make sense?” Humphrey asked.

“Yes, Humphrey, it does.” Clay replied, a few lightbulbs starting to light up.

“I’d be his friend if he’d let me, only he calls me Sweet Baby Rey and that gets on my nerves.” Humphrey explained.

“I can see why.” Clay said, now knowing why he doesn’t like being called Rey.

“But I could probably beat him up if I wanted to. I’m about five times his size, but I never get too mad at him.” Humphrey continued.

“Why not?” Clay asked, curious now.

“Mr. Spenser, when you’re the fattest kid in school, you get used to being called names. Chubby, Tubbo, Fatty fatty two by four. You name it, I’ve been called it.” Humphrey stated matter-of-factly.

“That must be difficult,” Clay said, suddenly seeing Humphrey in a whole new light.

“I guess. But I learned a long time ago, we’ve all got problems. The difference between me and a kid like Tony is that my problems are on the outside.” Humphrey explained.

“Huh?” Clay asked, somewhat confused.

“I’m fat. All you gotta do is take one look at me to figure that out. But Tony… his problems are on the inside.” Humphrey pointed out.

“How so?” Clay responded.

“His folks are splittin’ up. Getting’ a divorce. I don’t know why, but I know his dad don’t come around much anymore. Tony’s been getting’ in a lot more trouble at school since everything went bad at home. By the looks of things, I bet this school year won’t be much different for him.” Humphrey revealed.

“And why’s that?” Clay wanted to know.

“His folks aren’t back together, and by the way he’s acting here, I’d say he’s still upset about it.” Humphrey said.

“Seems to be. That’s pretty rough.” Clay could see where Tony’s anger was coming from.

“Yeah. Especially ‘cause he won’t talk about it. That’s how come his mom made him join the Scouts.” Humphrey divulged this information.

“Why did his mom make him join the scouts?” Clay asked.

“So the leaders, like Mr. Griffin, can be a father figure to Tony. Or at least that’s what I heard my mom tell my dad. Only, I don’t think Mr. Griffin likes Tony very much, so I’m not sure if Mrs. Maloney’s plan is going to work all that good.” Humphrey explained.

“I suppose not having his dad around is a problem for Tony,” Clay acknowledged as he thought back to the boy’s comment from earlier regarding Clay not being his father, and therefore not having the right to discipline him. Now the kid’s attitude made a little more sense. That didn’t mean it would be any easier to deal with, but at least Clay knew where the kid was coming from.

“Like I said, Mr. Spenser, we’ve all got problems. Some of us just have a harder time hiding them than others.” Humphrey stated.

Before Clay could make a reply, Sean tore down the trail screaming and waving his arms in the air. “A cougar! A cougar! Run Humphrey! Run Mr. Spenser! A cougar is gonna get us!”

Before Clay had a chance to react, he heard Ray call, “Sean! Sean, come back! It was just Tony playing a joke on you! Sean! Sean, get back here!”

Sean’s panic had set into the point that he paid no attention to Ray’s words. He ran full speed, barreling into the center of Clay’s chest and knocking him off his feet. The SEAL flew from the trail, slamming the ground on his rear end and bare elbows. His backpack was rammed into his neck, causing Clay to see stars.

By the time Clay had regained his senses, and his breath, Ray and the boys were gathered around him. How Ray had gotten Sean to stop running, and calmed him down, Clay didn’t know, and he didn’t care. Ray reached out a hand to help his teammate up, only to immediately drop it before he came in physical contact with the man.

“Clay, don’t touch anything.” Ray stated.

“What?” Asked Clay, about to run his hand through his curls.

“No, don’t touch your face!” Ray stated, stopping the movement.

“Why?” Clay drawled out.

“Because you fell onto a bunch of poison oak bushes.” Ray revealed.

Clay closed his eyes and groaned. “Oh, no.”

“Sorry, brother, but oh, yes.” Ray replied.

Ray gathered his Boy Scouts near as he shouldered out of his backpack, unzipped it, and retrieved the first aid kit he had brought along that was stocked as well as the one Clay was carrying in his own pack.

“Okay, guys, here’s your first lesson toward earning your merit badges,” Ray announced with a little too much glee for Clay’s taste at the moment. “The treatment of poison oak. And it just so happens that we’re lucky today to have a real live victim to work on.”

“Cool,” Tony said with an evil gleam to his eye that Clay found disconcerting.

“Neat,” Hunter nodded.

“Wicked,” the twins said as one.

“Way to go, Mr. Spenser,” Humphrey said with nothing but the utmost approval to his tone while he opened a bag of Doritos.

Austin didn’t say anything because he was too shy to voice an opinion, and Sean didn’t say anything because he was wise enough not to, considering he’d caused Clay’s misfortune in the first place. RJ Perry, on the other hand, had a few words to offer as well.

“Thanks, Uncle Clay,” RJ said while taking the Calamine lotion from his dad. “This beats working on a pretend victim any day.”

Clay rolled his eyes and muttered, “You’re welcome,” as he tried to ignore how miserable he was beginning to feel while resisting the urge to scratch.

“Now,” instructed Ray. “The first step in treating poison oak is to wash as much of the sap off as possible. He opened his canteen and poured the water over Clay’s outstretched arms. “This way, hopefully, the blisters won’t be so bad.”

“That’s right,” Clay said as he pushed himself up. “That’s enough, Ray.” He said as the water ran off his wrist and elbows. “Then, pat it dry, and apply the calamine lotion.” He sat down on a large rock and held his arms out.

“Lemme do it!” insisted Tony as he yanked the uncapped bottle from RJ’s hand. A large glop of the sticky pink lotion splashed onto Clay’s cheek.

“Hey!” yelped Clay. “Don’t fight over it!” He reached up to wipe the lotion from his face.

“Don’t touch your face!” ordered Ray. “Don’t grab the supplies. Rule number one in first aid: your supplies are limited, so you need to make sure you only use what you need. You don’t know if or when you might need it later.” He watched as the boys nodded in unison. “Okay, Tony, you can put the stuff on Mr. Spenser. “Use one of the dressings that you boys packed to put it on.”

“Sorry, Mr. Spenser,” Tony said, an unconvincing tone in his voice. He carefully applied the calamine lotion to Clay’s hands and arms.

“Nice job, Tony,” Clay said as the boy capped the bottle and handed it back to Ray. He felt the prickling itch subside to a dull prickle.

“Really?” Tony asked skeptically.

“Yes, Tony,” sighed Clay as he stood up. “You did a good job.” He examined his arms. “You covered every spot, you didn’t leave a mess, and you didn’t litter.”

“That’s another important thing. Don’t litter. We must take all of our trash with us. We’re here to appreciate the wilderness, to visit it, not to mess it up.” He looked at all the boys. “There aren’t that many places like this left, and we have to save them. You wouldn’t go over to your best friend’s house and throw all of your candy wrappers around, and throw your dirty clothes around, would you?” Ray explained.

“Humphrey would,” Hunter muttered. The boys snorted and smiled.

Clay gave Hunter a stern look. “Let’s get going, boys. We’ve got more ground to cover.”

***

The rest of the hike was fairly uneventful if you overlooked the fact that Sean was tiptoeing the trail, always on the alert for a wild animal. The twins were running into the woods in an effort to find those imaginary wild animals and chase them out. Tony had taken to yanking the straps of Austin’s backpack simply because he knew the quiet, easygoing Austin wouldn’t retaliate. And Humphrey was bemoaning the fact that he was certain he would need a hysterectomy by the time this hike was finished.

This last comment caused Clay to choke on his own saliva. “What did you say?”

“I said you’re killin’ me here, Mr. Spenser,” the hefty boy gasped as they climbed a steep, rocky path. “I’m gonna need a hysterectomy for sure.”

“Humphrey, do you know what a hysterectomy is?” Clay asked, curious.

“No, but I heard about it from watching Grey’s Anatomy. Lots of people on that show need hysterectomies.” Humphrey explained.

“Yes. Lots of people, as in women. It would be physically impossible for you to have, or need, a hysterectomy.” Clay explained.

“Why?” Humphrey asked, looking like he was going to start taking notes again.

Clay wasn’t about to launch into a discussion regarding the facts of life with a not quite ten-year-old boy that wasn’t his own son. “Never mind. Just take my word for it.”

“Okay. If you say so. But if I die because I didn’t get a hysterectomy, it will be all your fault.” Humphrey stated.

Clay snorted. “Believe me, I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it.”

When they reached the shallow stream they would have to cross, Sean came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone else, with the exception of Humphrey and Clay, were halfway to the other side. Clay turned around when he realized Sean was no longer with them. “Sean, come on.”

“I… I can’t.” Sean stammered.

“Why not?” Clay asked, holding his sarcasm at bay.

“Because there’s sharks in that water.” Sean gave as his answer.

“No, there’s not.” Clay refuted.

“Yes, there is.” Sean stated.

Chilly water lapped at Clay’s ankles, making his feet cold. He just wanted the boy to get a move on so he could be on dry land again. “Sean, this is fresh water. Sharks only live in salt water.”

“But maybe one got in here somehow. Maybe it got mixed up and swam here. What if the shark’s mother never told it that it couldn’t live in fresh water?” Sean started to ramble.

“It wouldn’t matter what its mother did or didn’t tell it. The shark would die regardless.” Clay reasoned, thinking of Sonny.

“But what if it’s not dead yet?” Sean asked.

Clay took a deep breath to keep a rein on his temper. “Sean, trust me. There are _no_ sharks in this water.”

“There could be snakes though,” Humphrey offered as he dug through his backpack.

Clay glared at the boy while pointing a stern finger. “If I see you eat one more candy bar before dinner, I will personally go through that pack and confiscate every single morsel of food you have in there.”

“Geez, Mr. Spenser, you sure do get testy when you come across a little poison oak.” Humphrey complained.

“Humphrey!” Clay exclaimed.

“Okay, okay. I won’t eat anything else.” Humphrey said as he pulled his hand out of his backpack.

“Good.” Clay kept a watchful eye on the boy until he had his pack zipped up and returned to his back. He then looked at Sean. “Come on, Sean. Move it.”

“I… I can’t.” Sean sobbed.

‘Oh shit. Here come the tears again.’ Clay thought. “Sean, come on.”

“I… Mr. Spenser, I’m scared. There’s snakes in there. Humphrey said so.” Sean stammered through his tears.

“Or piranhas,” Humphrey offered. “There could be piranhas. Some of them live in fresh water.

“Humphrey!” Clay reprimanded.

“Look, I’m not lying to him. I’m simply saying that-” Humphrey started to defend himself.

“I don’t care what you’re saying. As a matter of fact, I want you to stop saying anything and just wait right here.” Clay told the boy.

“Where are you going?” Humphrey asked, curious.

“To get Sean.” Clay tossed over his shoulder.

Clay waded back to the stream’s bank and stooped down until he was eye-level with Sean. The SEAL was too softhearted to stay angry when the crying boy lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Clay’s neck.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Mr. Spenser,” Sean apologized through his tears as he buried his head in Clay’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m such a crybaby. I’m just… I’m just so scared.”

“I know,” Clay said as he rubbed the child’s back in soothing circles with his palm. “But you’re letting your fear rule you, Sean. You’re getting yourself so worked up over things that don’t exist, or aren’t going to happen, that you’re not allowing yourself to have a good time.”

“I’m… I’m supposed to be… to be having a good time?” Sean asked.

Clay chuckled. “That’s the general idea, yes.”

“Oh.” Sean replied.

“Listen, let’s forget about sharks, and snakes, and piranhas for the time being, and cross this stream so we can catch up to the other guys.” Clay explained.

“Will you… will you carry me?” Sean asked.

“No, I won’t.” Clay replied.

A fresh round of tears started as the boy pleaded, “Please, Mr. Spenser. Please carry me.”

“I won’t carry you, but I will walk beside you and hold your hand. How’s that?” Clay bargained.

Sean thought for a long moment, then brought his head up from Clay’s shoulder. “Will you hold on tight?”

“Yes.” Clay reassured.

“You won’t let go?” Sean wanted to know.

“Nope.” Clay confirmed.

“Not even if a shark grabs my leg?” Sean asked.

“That won’t happen because there’s no sharks in this water.” Clay tried to reassure again.

“But if one got mixed up and swam this far and-” Sean started to ramble.

Clay tried to keep the sigh out of his voice. “No, Sean, I won’t even let go if a shark grabs your leg. As a matter of fact, if that happens, I’ll pick up both you and Humphrey and run for our lives as fast as I can.”

Clay heard Humphrey snort. “Yeah, right, Mr. Spenser. I would like to see you pick me up and run with no problem. You would kill yourself haulin’ around a fat kid like me. But hey, it’s nice to know you care.”

Clay rolled his eyes, “Alright guys, enough chit chat. Let’s get a move on.”

For Clay, standing Sean in the water was like untangling a frightened monkey from his body. It took a full minute to get the boy to let go of every available limb he could cling to. Though Clay was sure he’d lost circulation in his right hand by the time they came to the other side of the stream, he was proud of Sean for crossing on his own.

Sean was still smiling at Clay’s, “Way to go, Sean,” when Tony came running to meet them.

“Hey, who held you guys up? Sweet Baby Rey or Sob Story Sean?” Tony wanted to know.

“Neither one,” Clay said as Sean’s head dropped in shame and Humphrey did his best to hide the hurt Tony’s words produced. “I held us up.”

“You? How?” Tony asked.

“I was giving Sean and Humphrey some pointers about the first aid skills we’re going to be learning this afternoon. Maybe if you’d walked with us you could have been a part of our conversations.” Clay said, making it sound true.

“I already know first aid. I took care of your arms, didn’t I?” Tony tried to point out.

“Yes, you did. And you did a fine job.” Clay praised.

Tony waited for the man to say more. Surely, he was going to get scolded for making fun of Humphrey and Sean. When that didn’t happen, he hid his surprise and instead gave a jerk of his head. “Come on. Mr. Perry is waiting.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the fun just continues for Clay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you for @RayByAnotherName for being my beta for this and for keeping me sane through Remote Learning.
> 
> Second, writing these chapters is my little bit of relaxation for all the craziness that is going on.
> 
> So, enjoy!

Without previously discussing it, Ray and Clay took over the portions of first aid instruction that best suited their personalities. Ray had all the boys take a long drink from their canteens, then told everyone to find a log or boulder to sit on. When the Scouts were settled, Ray had them take their first aid manuals from their backpacks. Clay snagged the Snickers bar Humphrey attempted to hide between the pages of his book.

“Humphrey, what did I tell you when we were crossing the stream?” Clay asked.

“Man, Mr. Spenser, I’m gonna waste away to nothin’ here if you don’t let me have a little snack.” Humphrey complained.

“Snacks will come later. Before we hike back down. Now it’s time to learn.” Clay gently reprimanded.

“Geez, you’re a slave driver, you know that?” Humphrey said as he turned back to the group.

Ray had to hide his smile. The image of Clay as a slave driver was like Sonny wearing a tutu. “You must really be whipping those boys into shape,” Ray whispered.

Clay nodded. “I’m letting them know who’s boss.”

Ray eyed his teammate’s bandaged arms. “Oh, I can see that alright.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clay asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing.” Ray smiled and turned his attention to the boys. “Okay, guys, open your manuals to chapter 1.”

Ray and Clay kept the boys’ attention by alternating Ray’s verbal instructions with Clay’s visual ones. Clay made sure each boy got to play the part of ‘victim’ in whatever scenario they were demonstrating and made certain each boy had the chance to try different first aid techniques. The boys were granted three ten-minute breaks over the two and a half hours of instruction. Clay only had to break up one potential fist fight between Tony and the Casabang twins, grab two candy bars away from Humphrey, and stop Sean’s tears before they started when the boy became convinced he had been bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito.

This last idea was prompted by Humphrey. “That malaria stuff is bad news, Sean. I learned all about it on House. You’ll probably die a horrible death.”

“Humphrey, do me a favor,” Clay said, as he wiped Sean’s tears for the third time that day.

“What’s that, Mr. Spenser?” Humphrey asked, curious.

“When you get back home, watch hockey or football instead of medical shows.” Clay stated.

“Nah,” the boy shook his head. “I’m not into sports. Medical shows are my favorite.”

“So, I’ve noticed.” Clay muttered under his breath.

It was 1700 when Ray declared that afternoon’s first aid instructions over. “Good job, boys. You all listened well and excelled at the skills we taught you today.”

Clay thought Ray was going a little overboard when he used the word ‘excelled’. Some of the boys, like RJ, Austin and Hunter, were indeed quite skilled. The Casabang twins and Tony could be just as skilled as the other three boys if they quit goofing around and concentrated a little harder, but Humphrey and Sean were lost causes. Humphrey because he didn’t care, and Sean because he was too scared to try anything new. But, Clay supposed, all in all, he couldn’t complain. If nothing else, the first aid instructions had occupied the boys’ attention for most of the afternoon.

“Okay, now everyone can have whatever snack they brought along,” Ray said, “Then we’ll head back and get dinner started.”

“YES!” Humphrey raised his round arms in triumph. “Dinner!”

Clay turned his back on the boys to speak quietly to Ray. “How that kid can still be hungry is beyond me.”

Ray nodded. “I know what you mean.”

The two men dug through their own packs. Ray ate an apple while Clay downed a peach and a banana. Fifteen minutes later, Ray instructed the campers to pick up any trash, repack their backpacks, and get ready to hike out. The boys and men were engrossed in doing as Ray said when Tony snuck up behind Sean. He tossed a dead Eastern Wormsnake he’d found in the brush over Sean’s shoulder, so it landed in the boy’s lap. Sean’s cries of, “Snake! Snake!” brought Clay running.

While Sean wrestled with the dead reptile, the other boys scattered. Clay raced to the child, only to catch the toe of his hiking boot in an indention in the ground. Before the uproar over the snake could even begin to die down, the boys were screaming, “Bees! Bees!” as the yellow jackets Clay had just awakened swarmed through the air.

Ray pointed toward the stream. “Go, boys! Run! Run! Get in the water! All the way under! Duck under!”

Backpacks were abandoned as the boys flew to the stream. Ray grabbed his failing teammate by the arm and pulled him in the direction of the water as well. “Come on, Clay! To the water! Run to the water!”

Ten minutes later, the excitement was over. Other than an occasional wayward yellow jacket looking for its nest-mates, the coast was clear.

Ray kept a hand on Clay’s arm and helped him make it to dry land. He urged Clay to a seated position on the ground, immediately starting to check him over. One by one, the boys gathered around them. “Are you okay?”

Clay winced. “Yeah.”

“You don’t look okay.” Ray stated, looking at him. “Did you get stung?”

“A few times, I think.” Clay stated.

“Where?” Ray said, grabbing an arm and lifting it.

“My back. My chest. Maybe my neck.” Clay winced at the movement.

“Here. Let’s get your shirt off.” Ray helped Clay peel off his wet T-shirt. For the second time that day, the boys admired Clay’s misfortune.

“Wow! Look at all those red marks. Do they hurt, Mr. Spenser?” Asked Casabang Twin 1.

“Cool. He musta been stung like a thousand times.” Casabang Twin 2 stated.

“Are you gonna puke, Mr. Spenser?” Tony asked.

“You want a Snickers bar, Mr. Spenser? I got an extra one. That’ll probably make you feel better. Chocolate always makes me feel better no matter how sick I am.” Humphrey offered.

“Boys, let’s not ask Mr. Spenser any more questions. Remember what we learned a little while ago?” Ray reminded. “It’s important not to overwhelm your victim, but to stay calm for him.”

RJ looked up at his father. “Dad, does this mean Uncle Clay is a victim again?”

“Yes, son, it does.” Ray confirmed.

“Neat. Thanks, Uncle Clay.” RJ said to the unwilling victim.

Clay peeled one eye open from where he sat on the ground wet, itching, stinging, and with the beginnings of a headache. “Thanks for what, RJ?”

“For letting us practice on you again. This is turning out to be the best camping trip ever.” RJ exclaimed.

And with that, the boys ran off to get their packs and the first aid kits.

***

Clay would have considered it a minor miracle that all eight boys, including Humphrey and Sean, made it back to the tents in one piece. But taking into account his itchy, stinging, calamine-coated skin, his wrinkled feet still housed in boots that refused to dry out, and the weariness he felt down to his bones after chasing the twins, continually rescuing Sean from Tony, and rescuing Humphrey from himself and the contents of his backpack, Clay knew the boys had done a whole lot better than he had. He frowned to himself. ‘I’m the one with camping experience. I’m a Navy SEAL,’ he thought wryly. ‘And I’m the one having the most trouble.’

He shook his head, as if trying to shake off all pessimism. “Everybody out of anything that’s wet,” he commanded as Ray brought up the rear of the group piling into their clearing. “Get some dry clothes on and we’ll make a fire for dinner.”

“Good idea,” Ray sighed, sitting on a stump, pulling off his boots. Clay followed suit as the boys attacked their bags.

Clay looked around at the gathering duck. “Got anything else planned for today, Ray?” he asked carefully, not sure he was up to anything else. “I could start a fire for dinner.”

Ray nodded, looking almost as weary. “Good idea,” he repeated. He looked around at the boys running around in all states of dress and undress, then back at Clay, who was gathering his strength. Ray grinned. “We’re getting old, Clay.”

“Huh?” Clay pushed himself up. “Speak for yourself, brother.” He gestured at his chest and winced as he hit a yellow jacket sting. “ _I’m_ not getting old.”

Ray chuckled as Clay strode off to gather firewood. He clapped his hands to get the boys’ attention. “Enough of that,” he called out, stopping their play. “Get dressed now. And then go help Mr. Spenser make a fire.” That electrified them, he noted. Good or bad, kids loved to play with fire. The boys raced to get there first.

***

Two hot dogs, two helpings of pork and beans, a thermos-full of lemonade, and four s’mores later, Clay thought he was almost beginning to feel human again. He always enjoyed meals that weren’t interrupted, and that weren’t MREs. Even watching Humphrey down four hot dogs didn’t phase him. He smirked across the fire at Ray, who found himself having to practically roast Sean’s marshmallows for the boy, who kept dropping them in the flames. Clay leaned back against the log at his back.

“Tell us a story, Uncle Clay,” RJ prompted, mouth full, when he saw Clay was finished.

Ray shot his son a warming look, about the mouthful of food, but he didn’t say anything. After all, they were _men_ among _men_ , right?

RJ caught the look and swallowed. “Please,” he amended.

“Yeah!” Hunter chimed in.

“Tell us a story!” One of the Casabang twins said.

“A _ghost_ story.” The second twin elaborated.

Sean stared at the ground and hitched a little closer to Ray.

Clay grinned at the boys and leaned forward on his crossed legs. “Weeeeell,” he drawled, “If you _really_ want-”

“Yeah!” Tony joined in.

“Come on, Mr. Spenser, tell us a scary story!” Humphrey chimed in.

Ray thought that Clay’s eye took on an evil glint. His partner was enjoying himself at last.

“Well, now every good story starts with-” Clay started.

“ONCE UPON A TIME!” the boys all shouted, except for Sean, getting into the spirit of things.

Clay reached for and whipped a flashlight up under his face and gave a short evil laugh, screwing his face up into a grimace. “Once upon a time…”

Clay allowed a long, dramatic pause to follow as he looked from one boy to the next, until he was certain every eye was upon him. “Once upon a time, two SEALs took eight boys camping. By the end of the first night, there were only seven.”

Sean moved closer to Ray. “I… I don’t think I’m gonna like this story.”

“It’s only make-believe,” Ray assured softly as Clay continued.

“They didn’t know what was creeping out of the woods each night, woods just like the ones that are surrounding us, and taking the boys one by one from their tents. Some said it looked like a giant would that walked upright like a man. Some said it was an angry mother bear looking for her lost cubs. While others said it was the spirit of a madman who had been murdered in these woods hundreds of years earlier.” Clay began his story.

“Mur-murdered?” Sean questioned as he crept even closer to Ray.

“Yes,” Clay nodded. “Murdered.”

“Murdered how?” Hunter asked.

“By an axe driven through the top of his skull.” Clay said.

An echo of captivated “Wow’s” sounded softly from around the campfire.

“Because no one knew what it was, they called it the ‘Camp Creature’.” Clays continued with a creepy voice.

Ray felt Sean attach himself to his side, and watched as the other boys mouthed silently, “Camp Creature.”

“The first night it came into camp, it took the kid who had the biggest stash of candy bars.” Clay said, looking at Humphrey.

“Hey!” Humphrey protested while the other boys laughed.

“Hey, Humphrey, the Camp Creature musta been hungry,” RJ said.

“Yeah,” Hunter agreed. “I hope it likes Snickers Bars.”

One by one, Clay used each boy in his story. He told of how the Camp Creature took the two look-alike boys who were always running off in different directions. Then told of how the Camp Create wanted the boy who was always happy when he got to practice first aid on his uncle. Then said the Camp Creature took the boy with ‘three sisters’ next. Then said it finally came back for the ‘quiet’ boy because it needed some peace. When Clay came to Tony, he said, “And on the sixth night, the Camp Creature took the boy who cried wolf.”

“Cried wolf?” Hunter asked.

“Yes. The boy who liked to throw dead snakes in people’s laps.” Clay commented.

Tony looked away. ‘How did Mr. Spenser know what he had done to Sean that afternoon?’

“The Camp Creature let the boy know that crying wolf is a dangerous game to play.” Clay continued.

“How come, Uncle Clay?” RJ asked.

“How come what?” Clay replied.

“How come crying wolf is dangerous?” RJ clarified.

“Because it makes people think something is really wrong, only to have them find out it was a practical joke when they come running to help you. If you pull a stunt like that enough, soon people get tired of it and ignore you. Then someday, when you really need help, no one will be there for you because you used up all your chances playing childish games.” Clay explained.

“I bet that would tick the Camp Creature off,” Brandon said, his twin nodding beside him.

“Oh, it does,” Ray nodded. “Especially when he gets stung fifteen times by bees because of it.”

If the other boys understood that both Clay and Ray were referring to Tony’s prank, they didn’t let on. Tony didn’t acknowledge it either as he continued to stare into the fire.

“What about Sean?” Austin asked. “When’s the Camp Creature gonna get him?”

“He’s not.” Clay stated simply.

“He’s not? How come?” Hunter questioned. “He’s already snatched up all the rest of us.”

“That’s right. But Sean was too smart to be snatched. One by one as the boys disappeared, Sean knew he had to form a plan of action. He stayed up late one night, waiting and watching.” Clay explained.

“Oh, Sob Story Sean would never do that,” Tony scoffed. “Waiting and crying maybe. But not watching.”

Clay’s eyes darted to Sean who was nestled against Ray’s side. He felt sorry for the boy and the humiliation he was constantly being subjected to. “No, he _was_ waiting and watching. When the Camp Creature grabbed Tony and ran, Sean gave chase. He thought it would be hard to track the Camp Creature in the dark, but a trail of candy bars wrappers led him right to the cave where the Camp Creature was hiding Sean’s friends.”

The boys laughed.

“Way to go, Humphrey,” Hunter said. “Your candy bars are gonna save us.”

“Glad I could be of assistance,” the chubby boy nodded with a self-satisfied smile as he helped himself to another s’more.

Clay resumed his story. “Humphrey’s candy bars weren’t enough to satisfy the creature that night. It was still hungry, hungry for Boy Scout.”

RJ rubbed his hands together with glee. “Oh, boy, this is getting’ really scary now.”

Sean agreed by hiding his head in Ray’s arm as Clay continued. “Just as the Creature was about to see what RJ Perry tasted like, Sean rushed into the cave and tackled it from behind. The Camp Creature’s claws slashed back and forth as it and Sean rolled end over end. Just when one of those claws was about to slice open Sean’s neck, he reached out and grabbed Humphrey’s backpack. The pack still held so much food, it felt like it was loaded with bricks. Sean slammed the pack into the Creature’s skull, and with that one powerful blow, killed it. He untied his friends, and together they raced back to their campsite where Sean was hailed a hero.” Clay finished.

All the boys but Tony followed Clay’s lead and clapped for Sean while yelling, “Yeah! Yeah, Sean!”

Ray gently jostled Sean. “Did you hear that? You’re a hero.”

“Only in a story,” Sean muttered, though Ray could feel the boy smile against his arm.

All the boys but Tony spent the next fifteen minutes rehashing Clay’s ghost story. As their talk wound down Hunter pleaded, “Tell us another one, Mr. Spenser.”

“Yeah, another one.” Landon said.

“Yeah, Uncle Clay, one more.” RJ asked.

“No,” Clay shook his head. “No more tonight. I’ll tell you another one tomorrow night.”

“Please?” Bandon asked.

“Yeah, pretty please.” Austin asked.

“That’s enough, boys,” Ray said. “Our first aid victim is tired, and so am I.”

“Just ‘cause you old guys are tired doesn’t mean we are,” Humphrey said.

“Regardless of whether you are or not, it’s time to call it a night. We have to be up by 0600 tomorrow morning if we’re going to fit in all the instruction that will earn you guys your merit badges.” Ray stated.

Amidst groans of protest, the boys slowly rose to their feet. One by one, they made their ways to their tents, calling goodnight to their Scout Masters over their shoulders.

Clay headed to his truck, only to be stopped by a hand on his arm. “What?”

“You’re bunking with RJ and Hunter, remember? I get the truck.” Ray stated.

“It’s my truck.” Clay stated simply.

Before the two men could bicker further, RJ poked his head out of his tent. “Come on, Uncle Clay. We saved you a spot.”

Clay looked at Ray who waved him in the direction of the tent. “They saved you a spot.”

Clay shot one last glance at his truck, hoping against all hope that Ray wouldn’t find the pink, elephant stuffed animal that Sonny somehow managed to sneak into the bed of his pickup. He knew that if Ray found it, and told the other guys on the team, no amount of explaining on Clay’s part was going to get him out of a long round of teasing. Especially from Sonny.

Ray gave his teammate a gentle shove. “Go on. Hit the sack. I have a feeling morning’s going to come too soon.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Clay said unconvincingly.

With one last glance over his shoulder, Clay headed for the tent he was going to share with RJ and Hunter. For the sake of everyone’s sanity, Ray had decided Sean, Humphrey and Landon would share a tent, and Tony, Brandon and Austin would share one. At least that split the active twins up, and kept Tony away from Sean, his favorite target.

Ray didn’t have to worry about anyone pulling pranks on this night. Within five minutes of crawling in their tents, the boys were asleep. Ray climbed into the back of Clay’s pickup where he’d spread out his own sleeping bag. It felt good to lie down and stretch.

If Ray hadn’t put his arms over his head, he never would have felt the lump beneath a folded blanket. But he did feel the lump, and then dug beneath the blanket to see what it was. He rolled over on his stomach and grabbed the flashlight he’d set by the wheel well. When the light’s beam caught the face of a hot pink elephant, Ray smiled.

“A stuffed animal,” Ray marveled. “Clay’s got a stuffie. Oh, this camping trip is turning out to be just too much fun at Clay’s expense.” Ray snickered as he returned the stuffed animal to its hiding place. “ _Way_ too much fun.”

***

It was two o’clock in the morning when Tony crept from his tent. He looked to the left, and then to the right, before glancing over his shoulder at the pickup truck. Everyone was sleeping soundly as the boy tiptoed across the campsite.

Tony crept to the tent where Humphrey, Sean and Landon were sleeping. The glow from the embers of their fire made it easy to see the boys’ shadows. The huge one on the left was Humphrey. The one in the middle had to be Landon, because the scrawny shadow closest to Tony sucking his thumb in his sleep, could only be Sean.

Tony covered his mouth with his own hand to keep from laughing out loud. This was going to be the best prank ever. For a brief moment, Tony recalled Mr. Spenser’s words about crying wolf, and then remembered how Mr. Spenser had gotten hurt twice that afternoon because of pranks Tony had pulled on Sean. But no one would get hurt this time. Everyone was sleeping. Or at least they would be until Sean woke them all up with his sissy screams.

Tony dropped to his knees and dug his hands into the side of the tent. At first the movement of his hands against Sean’s body didn’t seem to disturb the boy, but as the movements continued, and then got more persistent, Sean began to stir.

Tony gave a long, drawn-out moan. “Sean. Sean, it’s the Camp Creature. I’ve come to get you. Sean. Sean, wake up. I’m the Camp Creature and I’m gonna hang you by your ankles in my cave, slice your neck, and suck your blood.”

Sean’s eyes popped open. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but then he heard the creature calling his name. When he realized the creature was grabbing him through the tent, he jumped to his feet. “It’s got me! It’s got me! The Camp Creature’s got me! Help! Help!” Sean threw open the tent’s zipper and raced into the night. “Mr. Spenser! Help! Help! The Camp Creature’s got me! Mr. Spenser! Mr. Spenser!”

Clay shot up out of his sleeping bag. He wasn’t awake enough to know who was screaming or why, but the Tier One in him sailed to action. He scrambled out of the tent, followed closely by RJ and Hunter. By the time Clay got to his feet, all the boys were out of their tents and watching with wide-eyed fascination as Sean ran around in circles screaming and waving his arms in the air.

Clay grabbed the boy. “Sean! Sean, stop it. Sean, calm down! You were dreaming, Sean. You’re okay! Calm down now!”

Sean kicked his bare feet back and forth, trying to buck himself free of Clay’s hold. “No, no! It had me! It did! The Camp Creature had me! It had me!”

One last, fierce kick by Sean, hit Clay’s thigh that was blown up in Manila, and knocked Clay off balance. He landed on his side in the burning embers of the campfire. “Ah!”

Before Ray could even shout, “Roll, Clay!” the SEAL was doing just that. He rolled over and over in the dirt that surrounded the firepit, Sean still in his arms. When Clay came to a stop, he felt Ray snatch the boy from him.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked Sean.

“Ye-yes.” He stammered.

“Did you get burned?” Ray clarified.

“N-n-no.” Sean started to tear.

A quick visual check assured Ray the child was telling the truth. He set the crying Sean on his feet, then ran to Clay’s side. “Clay! Clay, come on, roll over so I can have a look at you.”

Clay was lying on his left side, clutching his upper arm while rocking back and forth.

“Clay, come on. Let me have a look.” Ray said.

With Ray’s assistance, Clay slowly sat up. His sweatpants had protected his lower body, but he’d taken off his shirt when he’d entered the tent for the night, so he was naked from the waist up. It was all the SEAL could do to remove his hand so Ray could examine the burn.

“How bad is it?” Clay asked through clenched teeth.

“Not as bad as it feels right now, let’s put it that way. You’ve got a second-degree burn here on your upper arm about the size of my palm.” Ray replied.

Before Ray could say anything else the exclamations and questions Clay was getting so tired of hearing started.

“Wow, it’s really red, Mr. Spenser. Really, really red. Like a baby’s diaper rash red.” Hunter pointed out.

“Does it hurt, Mr. Spenser? Are you gonna puke?” One of the twin terrors asked.

“That’s cool, Mr. Spenser. You falling in the fire like that and then rolling on the ground like a crazy man. You wanna candy bar?” Humphrey asked.

“Hey, Dad, does this mean we get to practice our first aid skills on Uncle Clay again?” RJ asked.

“Yes, RJ, that’s what it means. Get a clean towel and fill it with ice from the cooler, son. Humphrey get the first aid kit. Boys, gather around. So far, you’ve learned how to treat a case of poison oak, and treat a victim of bee stings. Tonight, you’re going to learn how to properly treat a second-degree burn.” Ray started to order the boys around.

Clay sat with his eyes closed, wishing he were anywhere but on this miserable camping trip, as he once again played ‘victim’ for eight Boy Scouts.

***

“There you go, Clay,” Ray said as Brandon taped the bandage in place on Clay’s upper arm. He looked at the rest of the boys. “Show’s over, guys. Time to get back to bed.” He looked at his watch. “We don’t have much sack time left, so let’s get as much sleep as possible.”

Sean sniffled. “I’m-I’m sorry, Mr. Spenser.” A tear ran down the boy’s cheek.

Clay sighed and tore open a Tylenol packet. “I know you didn’t mean to kick me into the firepit. You were scared, and sometimes we do things we wouldn’t normally do when we’re scared.” He looked over the rest of the group. They all returned Clay’s gaze, except Tony, who at first, looked at him brashly, but then diverted his eyes. “No more horseplay tonight. You’ve gotta be careful around the campsite. Especially where there’s fire. Even though this looks like it’s pretty well out, it was still hot enough to burn my arm… You don’t know when somebody’s gonna get hurt.” He waited as all the boys nodded. Clay peered down at Sean. “Can you do me a favor, Sean?”

Sean nodded eagerly.

“Go into my tent and get my water bottle,” directed Clay. “I need it to take these with.”

Sean nodded and quickly retrieved the water bottle. “Here you go, Mr. Spenser.” He smiled at Clay.

Clay smiled back at the boy. “Thanks, Sean.” He tousled the boy’s hair. “Now all of you, get back to bed.” Clay tossed the pills in his mouth and took a large swig of water. He sighed, rubbed his hair, and stood up.

“You gonna be okay?” Ray asked curiously as the boys headed for their tents.

“I should be fine.” Clay glanced at the pink splotches on his arms, the bandage around his biceps and the bee stings on his chest. “As long as nothing else happens.” He stood up and stretched. “I’m done bein’ the victim.”

An evil grin spread across Ray’s face. “I was just gonna see if you wanted your stuff animal to sleep with you.”

Clay froze. A sick feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach. “You didn’t.”

“I did,” grinned Ray.

“You wouldn’t.” Clay shook his head.

“I might.” Ray’s grin grew wider.

“After all we’ve been through together?” asked Clay.

“Yep.” Ray nodded gleefully.

“You would,” Clay paced a moment, then whirled to face his partner. “What do you want?”

“What do I want… when?” asked Ray.

“Aww, come on,” hissed Clay. “You know what I mean!” He lowered his voice so the boys couldn’t hear.

“Sorry, Clay. I don’t.” Ray shook his head innocently.

Clay flexed his jaw. “What do you want so you won’t tell Sonny about… that?”

“If you let me sleep in the truck for the rest of the trip,” Ray said smugly. “I won’t tell Sonny you sleep with a stuffed animal.”

“For your information, I _don’t_ sleep with it,” hissed Clay. “It’s just… I found it… and it had to be Sonny to put it there.”

“Uh-huh,” Ray said, unconvinced. “I’ll bet Sonny and the rest of Bravo will believe that, too.”

“He wouldn’t?” Clay asked, alarmed.

“He would, and you know it.” Ray replied smugly.

Clay sighed, defeated. “He would.” He scratched his curls. “Okay, okay, you win. You get to sleep in the truck for the rest of the trip.”

RJ Perry popped his head out from the zippered tent flap. “You comin’ Uncle Clay?”

“I’m comin’, RJ.” Clay turned around to face the boy. “Get back to bed, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Traitor,” Clay muttered as he put the cap on his water bottle. He muttered something in a language Ray couldn’t understand as shuffled back to the tent.

Ray chuckled as he packed up the first aid kit. “Tomorrow’s another day, Clay. Why do I have the feeling that this will be the last time you volunteer to help me with something?”


End file.
